From the cabin village (It is called Fyrbyn, in English Lighthouse Village), a tractor came to fetch guests' baggages. All guests to this island must live in the village, even for tenting people.
From the cabin village (It is called Fyrbyn, in English Lighthouse Village), a tractor came to fetch guests' baggages. All guests to this island must live in the village, even for tenting people.
Flora. From the landing place, guests should walk to the cabin village and the length of path is really variable depending on where you have landed. This time we should take 4km-walk to the cabin village. By the way, on this island people do not allow camp wherever you want. So, even though you take your own tent, you should camp only in the permitted area.
Non-cultivated pinetrees.
A retired lighthouse stands at the north-east edge of the cabin village.
Just close to the cabin village, there is a large tractor trail in this island and the sand is very fine thus it's indeed tough to walk on the sand.
This island is dominated by pinetrees but a small area close to the cabin village, there is a deciduous forest thanks to the 1800s colonisation. Johan stands by the old chapel.
white, hard moss.
inside the old pinetree.
a hole of pinetree.
1 Scipkapasset. The highest point (40.3m) on Gotska Sandön.
From the highest point, we saw only pinetree forest southward, however eastward one see slightly the Baltic sea among pinetrees.
Quite impressive 2 Bronze-age ruin.
Flora.
The right one is orchid, which is called Red Helleborine (Cephalanthera rubra, and in Swedish, rödsyssla). Sometimes on this island one can find the hybrid type with svärdsyssla. One does not allow to pick-up orchids in Sweden.
We reached Höga land (high land), located the southmost of this island.
wild view from the High land.
the High land.
3 Mausoleum, a grave for the early-time lighthouse guardian's family.
4 Nymans. You can drink a fresh, non-salted water here!
Flora.
The left one is Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanthera longifolia, and in Swedish, svärdsyssla).
5 Sankt Anna (stuga), a closed private(?) lodge.
It was a lighthouse, suited at 6 Hamnudden, however destroyed by a storm several tens years ago.
Instead, there is a weather equipment.
an abandoned fisher's cabin.
The trail is smaller and smaller...
7 Ödekyrkogården.
8 Gamla Gården. There was a manor, and the middle picture was a kind of guesthouse at that time and the right picture was a widow's cabin.
Impressive wild pinetrees.
Before we left Gotska Sandön, we have a couple of hours free. We tried to access unpassed area yesterday.
Gottbergsladan. Once time ago, there was a legend of Petter Gottberg, a pirate, on this island. He killed many people in this cabin, according to the tale.
There is a greyseal protecting area on Gotska Sandön, but it was difficult to see them. The bird is Eurasian Oystercatcher, in Swedish strandskata.
It's time to onboard the boat towards Fårösund, where is the next destination for us.
Postscripts: It was very nice trip on Gotska Sandön. Next time I would like to take our children here and spend time at least 4 days except the Mid-Summer Eve. When we left the island when was one day before the Mid-Summer Eve, and we saw an invasion by people onboard the boat from Nynäshamn. I wish that baggage-fetching by tractor should be finished, otherwise... Anyway, I hope to come back here someday.
Gotska Sandön National Park by Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
Gotska Sandöns Hembygdsförening